Photo: Jason Kenworthy

Photo: Neal Mims / Skate Academy

Photo: Natalie Krishna Das

Photo: Neal Mims  / Skate Academy

I first saw pics & videos  of Brighton on Instagram and I knew she was someone we needed to do a Who's Rad on. Within weeks I heard she was joining the OG Betty skate team (that team is blowing up!) as it's newest team rider. This past Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting Brighton and watching her walk down the runway at the Pink Widow Gypsy Agenda fashion show. Check out her video at the end of this interview - I'd say she is definitely going places fast!  Yeah Brighton!

Who's Rad?   Brighton Zeuner

Age:    9

Home is?    Encinitas, California

How Long Have You Been Skating?   For almost two years but I've been around skateboarding everyday from the age of 4 when my dad got back into skateboarding and helped my brother Jack get started. Jack was the one who got us going to skateparks all the time. I would take their old decks and play with them on the carpet, pushing the tail and turning around, and then I got a skateboard for Christmas and started rolling around in the garage.

After my 8th birthday, with the help of my brother, I decided that skateboarding is definitely my thing and started to "go for it!"

Girls Who Skate that inspire YOU?   Mimi Knoop, Cara Beth Burnside, Holly Lyons, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins - Pastrana, Julz Lynn, Nora Vasconcellos, Lizzy Armanto, Amelia Brodka, Allysha Bergado, Alana Smith, Peggy Oki (she's a Z GIRL!) and of course my all-time favorite and the one who is like my Godmother, Patti McGee!

Favorite place you've ever skated?   Well it's hard to name just one favorite so I have to say my home park, Encinita's YMCA, Vans Combi bowl, the new Oceanside park and Birdhouse (Tony Hawk's vert ramp) and Rockstar's vert ramp (at Elliot Sloan's)

Favorite Trick?    Half cab no-hand blunt

Sponsors:   Original Betty Skateboards

Three Things You Don't Know About Me:

1. I have three grandmothers who survived breast cancer, they are RAD GIRLS!
2. I have a Sphynx cat named Cluseau who is 16 yrs old.
3. I still play with dolls (okay I'll probably be embarrassed that I said that, but oh well)

What's Next?

Within the past 6 months, I've skated in two World Cup Skateboarding events, Exposure (Women's 14 and under Vert & Women's 14 and under Bowl) and Vans Girls Combi Classic in Anaheim, CA. The Combi is short for combination, which basically means that it's gnarly!

My first big contest was King of the Groms 2013, where I won 4th place in mini ramp. There were only three girls who made it to the National Championships and the rest were the top boys from all over the country.

I shot my first video edit in two days in Arizona, where I'm from originally, and it's on YouTube now! I'm getting ready to start filming my second video in SoCal. I have a few contests coming up in California, then in June, I'm going to Minneapolis, MN to be in the King of the Groms Championships, then back to California for the California State Games and the World Cup Skateboarding contests.

I just moved to Encinitas, California in San Diego and I have friends to skate with every day, even the girls from my school. I'm going to keep working on my schooling and also learning how to surf. I got my mom to try skateboarding and I like to help the girls I meet at the skateparks who are just starting and give them Patti McGee stickers for their helmets. The skatepark is a great place to make friends!!!

Make sure you follow Brighton at:  @brightonzeuner on Instagram  and on Facebook